The Batwoman television series has been running for a few weeks on the CW now, giving us ample time to get a firm understanding of the direction the showrunners are taking her character and plot. It's likely that many new fans have been drawn to this series, including those who have never read the comics.
In the comics, Batwoman is an iconic character with her own motives, backstory, and support team. The TV series also boasts a strong and independent character. But how much do the two mediums have in common?
The truth of the matter is that any adaptation is going to change from the source material. As such, Batwoman's newest series has done some things right, according to the comics. But it also has some things done incorrectly, or at least differently.
Please note: this article contains spoilers for the Batwoman show, as well as the comics.
10 Doing Right: All The Basics
Whenever an adaptation is made for a comic series, it's usually painfully easy to tell if they're doing the source material justice. We've all seen enough horrible adaptations to know exactly what we're talking about.
The Batwoman series thus far has shown an interest in being at least relatively loyal to the comics. That's a big deal. All of the basics about her character are here: her name, intention, her traits and personality, and even her sexuality. It's certainly a start.
9 Doing Wrong: Her Father's Career
In the TV series, Kate's father Jacob is the head of a private security force known as the Crows. They've moved into Gotham and stepped up as protectors of the city, all while Batman is apparently absent.
In the comics, Jacob's story is a little bit different. He is a military man, though he and his buddies called their "group" the Crows. More specifically, he was a member of the Special Ops, and that is the reason why his family became such a large target.
8 Right: Her Sister
While the details may have varied, the truth of the matter is that they're doing a decent job with getting the facts right for Beth. First, she's Kate's sister, and she appears to die at a very young age — only to have somehow escaped her fate.
From there, Beth eventually gets pulled into the darker world of Gotham, finding herself as a villain of the series, known as Alice. She's not a stable character, and Kate constantly strives to help and protect her. Sound familiar?
7 Wrong: The House
Okay, this might be a minor complaint. But the family house they showed in the TV series? It's all wrong. For one thing, in the comics, her family held onto that house, even though it was too painful to actually live in, once Gabriel and Beth were gone. As a result, the house was empty, leaving no easy victims for Beth to target. Additionally, the house had more of a Gotham vibe than a cottage look. This look was enhanced by the abandoned state of the house, naturally.
6 Right: Her Complicated Family History
Kate Kane does not have an easy or happy family, can we all agree? In the comics, Kate lost her mother and her sister, only to later get her sister back — though in a significantly less stable state than before.
Kate's relationship with her father is nonexistent. He's cold and withdrawn from his daughter. In fact, she seemed to lose her entire family on that one fateful day. This tone has carried over well into the TV series, even if they did alter some of the facts.
5 Wrong: Protecting Sophie
In the TV series, Kate and Sophie get caught while at training camp (for becoming Crows), and Kate immediately refuses to sign any slips. Meanwhile, Sophie complies in hopes that it'll save her future career. Kate is understandably devastated by this apparent betrayal and tries to move on.
That is not how things played out in the comics. There, they're both in training for the military, and Kate refuses to confirm or deny her actions. She also protects Sophie in the process and isn't bitter about Sophie's decision. It was what Kate wanted. Her stoicism is the most marked change here; her silence in the face of the loss of her military career.
4 Right: The Messed Up Relationship She Has With Batman
Let's just say it — the Kane women are cursed. Batman lost his mother, a Kane by maiden name, and Kate lost her mother. It messed them both up, though in different ways. As such, their relationship is a bit...messed up.
They may be cousins, but they're not terribly close, despite the joint losses they both had as children. The TV show has had Batman absent, but it's clear that Kate blamed him for the longest time. Meanwhile, the comics have this mild unspoken animosity between the cousins. This ebbs and flows with the plot arcs.
3 Wrong: The Cause of Death for Her Mother
Most adaptations take the luxury of altering some facts. In the case of Batwoman, that means that they changed how Kate's mother died, and how her sister appeared to die as well.
In the comics, Kate's mother and twin sister were kidnapped by a terrorist organization, and supposedly murdered by them as well. It was all done to hurt Kate's father, but that is a whole different story. Meanwhile, the TV show killed Kate's mother in a car accident, in which their family car went off a bridge. It took both Gabrielle and Beth with it.
2 Right: Wanting To Make A Difference
The biggest thing they got right about Kate Kane is her need to do something. She wanted to make a difference, yet had to forge her own path in life thanks to the limitations being handed to her left and right. In some ways, her becoming a vigilante was inevitable. It was the road laid out for her, even if she didn't always see it that way.
That applies to both the comics and the TV show. She wants to help and become a symbol. This eventually leads her towards picking up the bat sigil — a symbol of importance in Gotham.
1 Wrong: Kate's Aspirations
Finally, the TV show did alter Kate's original aspirations in life. It may shock you to hear that she didn't always want to become a vigilante. In the TV show, she was originally trying to become a Crow.
In the comics, it wasn't a Crow she wanted to become. Instead, she was aiming to join the military. But she was forced out of that world as well, in a manner both similar and different to that which was depicted in the TV series.